Packaging design: The key to circular packages

Description

The current Dutch recycling value chain for plastic packaging waste (PPW) has not reached its full circularity potential, as is apparent from two Circular Performance Indicators (CPIs): net packaging recycling rate and average polymer purity of the recycled plastics. The performance of the recycling value chain can be optimised at four stages: packaging design, collection, sorting, and recycling. In the past years, the Dutch recycling rate has increased due to the increase in separately collected plastic packages and the construction of several additional recovery facilities. However, with the current packages the Dutch plastic packaging recycling value chain will not reach it’s circularity potential. Only a limited amount of recycled plastics from this value chain can be used to make in new packages and related consumer products. Conversely, most of the recycled plastics are of lesser quality and can only be applied in bulky applications. There is an urgent need for more well-recyclable packages to produce recycled plastics of a higher purity and to improve the efficiency of the recycling value chain in order to reach the circularity potential. Marieke will explain how better packaging designs will help to progress us towards a more circular economy and which dilemmas need to be addressed.

Period	15 Jun 2021
Event title	IAPRI 30th Member Conference Virtual
Event type	Conference/symposium
Location	NA, NetherlandsShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International